A Fair and Representative Process: The Path to Political Trust in Colombian Transitional Justice / Proceso justo y representativo: el camino hacia la confianza política en la justicia transicional colombiana

In contexts such as Colombia, where institutional distrust is high, understanding the mechanisms that promote political trust is essential for peace. This study posits that it is possible to restore the fractured relationship between citizens and the State during the application of transitional justice (TJ) through fair, representative processes that give voice to communities, and a satisfactory assessment of a mechanism such as the peace deal. In a sample of 480 Colombian individuals, the results indicate that positive attitudes towards TJ are only indirectly associated with greater political trust, through perceived procedural justice. Political and religious leanings highlight differences in attitudes to TJ. This study does not show evidence of a relationship between direct victimisation and attitudes to TJ, political trust or procedural justice. The findings emphasise that, beyond support for TJ, implementing participatory processes that ensure procedural justice is a psychosocial facilitating mechanism for rebuilding political trust in post-conflict societies.